http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060703/ap_on_...DMzBHNlYwM3MDM-

Lieberman may campaign as independent

By SUSAN HAIGH, AP Political Writer

Facing a stronger-than-expected Democratic primary challenge and sagging poll numbers because of his support of the Iraq war, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday he'll collect signatures for an independent campaign if he loses next month's primary.

"While I believe that I will win the Aug. 8 primary, I know there are no guarantees in elections," Lieberman told reporters on the steps of Connecticut's statehouse. "No one really knows how many Democrats will come out to vote on what may be a hot day in August."

Once a Democratic stalwart and the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee, Lieberman has fallen into disfavor from some Democrats for his support of the Iraq war and his perceived closeness to President Bush.

He has also been target by liberal blogs, which have given a boost to his challenger and bill the race as a chance to send a message to the Democratic establishment.

The ActBlue.com Web site, which helps Democrats set up fundraising campaigns for candidates, has helped bring challenger Ned Lamont nearly $233,000 in contributions as of last week. Lamont also received about $70,000 in contributions from the liberal group Democracy for America by way of the Internet.

Lieberman, running for a fourth Senate term, said his decision to collect signatures was influenced by Lamont's wealth and concerns of a low primary turnout.

"What if my opponent, who says he is worth somewhere between $90 million and $300 million, decides to write bigger and bigger checks in the last weeks of the campaign?" he asked.

Lamont, a multimillionaire owner of a cable television company with little political experience, has so far spent $1.5 million of his own money on his campaign. He has called Lieberman a Republican lapdog and accused him of strayed from his Democratic roots.

Lieberman said he wants to take his case to the entire state should he lose the primary.

"My opponent in the Democratic primary is asking Democrats to vote against me because of position on one issue, Iraq," Lieberman said. "I'm asking Democrats in the primary in August and the general election in November to consider my total record."

Quinnipiac University polls show Lamont's support among Democrats increasing from 19 percent in May to 32 percent in June. Lieberman's support in the same period fell from 65 percent to 57 percent.

Lieberman maintains high ratings among Republicans and unaffiliated voters, however, and Unaffiliated voters are the state's largest voting bloc, followed by Democrats and Republicans.

The poll also found that if Lieberman runs an unaffiliated campaign, he would win with 56 percent of the vote, compared with 18 percent for Lamont and 8 percent for Republican Alan Schlesinger.

Lieberman has until Aug. 9 — the day after the Democratic primary — to collect 7,500 signatures from registered voters to land on the November ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Experts have said his petition drive during the primary could further annoy Democrats who already question his party loyalty.

Tonight there was a debate between Sen Liberman and Lemont.

Sen Liberman looked visibly upset and constantly on offensive. He sounded like a republican attacking a democratic candidate. Acutally he was indirectly focusing on a small group of republicans and democrats who might vote for him in case he ran as an independent candidate. His strategy was essentially to threaten the democratic voters of Connecticut -- either vote for Liberman, or as independent candidate will he siphon votes off Lemont -- which will lead to a republican victory in CT.

The republican strategists are planning to use this debate as a litmus test for 2008 presidential debate. If Liberman wins, then in there view, it might weaken the case for an anti-war candidate in 2008. If Liberman looses, then they encourage him to run as independent, and the race will go to a republican. Sometimes I wonder why they even bother with this stuff, when it is a lot easier to steal elections through the supreme court.

It goes without saying, if Al Gore runs in 2008, Liberman will be used against him, just like they used the other guy...what was his name ... Zell Miller/Budweiser something to speak in Bush convention.

Gore is not with Lieberman on any level. Remember he did not endorse Lieberman in 2004, and he has not endorsed him this time. I don't think that he can hurt Gore this time around with pictures of Bush kissing Lieberman for all to see.

Well, while I'd like to think that Gore's choosing Lieberman as his veep in 2000 wouldn't come back to bite him in the butt, I'm not at all sure of that. Obviously, he can defend against whatever they throw at him, but this whole war issue is going to be the main thing that separates one Dem. from another in the primaries. And while it's true that I don't think you should judge a candidate based on one issue, the war is a really BIG issue, and personally, I won't be voting for any candidate whose position is that we should be "staying the course."

If Lieberman does run as an independent, it will cut into Lamont's support, but I wonder if it would be enough to throw the race to the Rep.

The whole thing is a shame. I wish Lieberman didn't go that way...

Here's the thing... I know Lamont is right on the issue of the war and standing up to the President, but Lieberman has been a solid Dem for 18 years. Not to mention the fact that he was Gore's running mate.

Lamont has been endorsed by moveon.org, for whatever that's worth.

Oh, I know Lamont is the more 'in touch' with our values. I just feel bad dumping a guy that has been a pretty loyal Democrat his whole career.

"Has been" being the operative phrase:
Lieberman has a fairly good record as far as the environment but
the last few years he has been more than an apologist for BushCo.

His remarks that women rape victims being denied emergency contraception
was of no consequence because they could always go to another hospital,
showed gross callousness.

I understand that Lamont has ben endorsd by NARAL as well :clap:

He said that? :mad:

I didn't see the debate just the audio clips man Lieberman acted like an absolute madman in the debate against Lamont,he even repeated the Reagan line when he said there you go again i think like seven times,geez what an idiot.

Lamont sounded pretty calm and held his own. I hope his wins the primary over Liegopman.

Yes he did and it was only about amonth ago

Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn’t be forced to do so.

"In Connecticut, it shouldn’t take more than a short ride to get to another hospital," he said.

Well Joe, that’s not very helpful. I mean, I know that you’ll never need emergency contraception at two o’clock in the morning after having been brutally raped. So I guess it’s easy for you to disregard any woman who is unlucky enough to have gone through that trauma.